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Russian government to continue supporting production of robotic transport

Appearing robotic vehicles should lead to a decline in traffic accidents, balanced distribution of traffic flows and reduced prices for trips, the prime minister said

MOSCOW, July 21. /TASS/. The Russian government will continue supporting production of robotic passenger and freight transport, particularly on account of budget funds, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Friday.

"Our researchers and engineers are proactively involved in development of robotic cars within the Autonet roadmap of the National Technology Initiative. The goal is to create the robotic transport branch for passenger and freight transportation from scratch and capture positions on global markets," Medvedev said. "We will continue supporting this work, particularly by budget financing," the prime minister said.

The government allocated over 600 mln rubles to Russian producers of remotely operated and driverless vehicles and the amount of support will be greater in the next year, Medvedev said.

Appearing robotic vehicles should lead to a decline in traffic accidents, balanced distribution of traffic flows and reduced prices for trips, the prime minister said. It is important to equip such vehicles "with absolutely perfect smart systems" capable of "making challenging decisions and forecasting the behavior of motorists and pedestrians," he said.

Such innovations will require legislative changes, particularly in traffic rules, insurance, and other spheres, Medvedev added.